Indo-European Roots


ENTRY:
gn-
DEFINITION:
To know. Oldest form *ne3-, colored to *no3-, contracted to *n- (becoming
*gn- in centum languages).
Derivatives include know, cunning, uncouth, ignore, noble, diagnosis, and
narrate.
1. Variant form *gn-, contracted from *gn-. know; knowledge, acknowledge,
from Old English cnwan, to know, from Germanic *kn(w)-. 2. Zero-grade form
*g-. a. can1, con2, cunning, from Old English cunnan, to know, know how to, be
able to, from Germanic *kunnan (Old English first and third singular can from
Germanic *kann from o-grade *gon-); b. ken, kenning, from Old English cennan,
to declare, and Old Norse kenna, to know, name (in a formal poetic metaphor),
from Germanic causative verb *kannjan, to make known; c. couth; uncouth, from
Old English cth, known, well-known, usual, excellent, familiar, from Germanic
*kunthaz; d. kith and kin, from Old English cth(the), cththu, knowledge,
acquaintance, friendship, kinfolk, from Germanic *kunthith. 3. Suffixed form
*gn-sko-. notice, notify, notion, notorious; acquaint, cognition, cognizance,
connoisseur, incognito, quaint, recognize, reconnaissance, reconnoiter, from Latin
(g)nscere, cognscere, to get to know, get acquainted with. 4. Suffixed form
*gn-ro-. ignorant, ignore, from Latin ignrre, not to know, to disregard (i- for in-,
not; see ne). 5. Suffixed form *gn-dhli-. noble, from Latin nbilis, knowable,
known, famous, noble. 6. Reduplicated and suffixed form *gi-gn-sko-. gnome2,
gnomon, gnosis, Gnostic; agnosia, diagnosis, pathognomonic, physiognomy,
prognosis, from Greek gignskein, to know, think, judge (verbal adjective gntos,
known), with gnsis (< *gn-ti-), knowledge, inquiry, and gnmn, judge,
interpreter. 7. Suffixed zero-grade form *g-ro-. narrate, from Latin narrre (<
*gnarrre), to tell, relate, from gnrus, knowing, expert. 8. Suffixed zero-grade
form *g-ti-. Zend-Avesta, from Avestan zainti-, knowledge (remade from *zti-).
9. Traditionally but improbably referred here are: a. note; annotate, connote,
prothonotary, from Latin nota, a mark, note, sign, cipher, shorthand character; b.
norm, Norma, normal; abnormal, enormous, from Latin norma, carpenter's square,
rule, pattern, precept, possibly from an Etruscan borrowing of Greek gnmn,
carpenter's square, rule. (Pokorny 2. en- 376.)


Now we gno.